Alpha's Twins Chapter 246

**Third Person POV**

"Wow! He likes espresso!"

Natalia rolled her eyes at the girls' obvious swooning over Adrian's coffee choice. Hell, if he ordered rat poison, they'd probably gush about his sophisticated taste.

She briefly entertained the thought of actually slipping something nasty into his drink.

*Too bad I can't actually poison him. Would save everyone a lot of trouble,* she mused, shooting him a sideways glance.

Meanwhile, Adrian sat staring out the window, lost in thought.

He'd stormed into the café earlier, pissed as hell at Natalia. But after settling into his seat and watching her work, that familiar calm had washed over him. It always did when she was around.

He thought back to those rumors he'd spread online a few days ago. Someone had clearly returned the favor this time around.

But deep down, he knew Natalia wasn't capable of that kind of public humiliation. She was more the direct confrontation type—straight to his face, no games. And despite everything, he was certain she didn't have room in her heart for anyone else.

He'd already screwed up royally when he'd convinced himself Noah and Aria belonged to another man. He wouldn't make that mistake twice.

When she'd come over to take his order personally, her familiar scent had hit him like a freight train, instantly mellowing his mood. He'd wanted nothing more than to just sit there and drink her in.

So many thoughts were racing through his head, but he couldn't let her see that. The last thing he wanted was to make her uncomfortable around him.

So he'd decided to play it cool, keep things civil.

Lost in his thoughts, he barely noticed the soft clink of ceramic hitting the table.

"Your espresso."

He turned to find Natalia standing there, studying his face. His eyes dropped to the coffee cup before meeting hers again.

"Did you make it yourself?"

She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Why? Would that stop you from drinking it?"

Adrian traced the rim of the cup with his finger, a small smile playing at his lips.

"What if you poisoned it?"

Natalia actually laughed at that, and Adrian's finger froze mid-circle. He clenched his hand into a fist, fighting every instinct in his body.

His gaze locked onto her face, drinking in that rare moment of genuine amusement.

On the outside, he looked perfectly composed. Inside, he was completely wrecked. He wanted to pull her onto his lap right there in the middle of the café and tell her she could laugh at him all she wanted—as long as she never let another man touch her again.

"You're absolutely right," she said, grinning. "I definitely poisoned it. Take my advice and don't drink it."

She waited for his response, but when he just sat there staring, she leaned forward, palms flat on the table.

"Trust me. A woman who's tried to rip your heart out twice can definitely handle slipping poison into your coffee."

Adrian's grin widened. He gave a slight nod, then reached for the cup.

Without breaking eye contact, he took a slow sip.

Natalia's jaw dropped as she watched him actually drink it.

But what really floored her was when he smirked and said, "Even poison tastes sweet when it comes from your hands."